Friday, June 04, 2010

Calif. Moves to Ban Plastic Bags at Grocery Stores

Did you ever think that there would come a day when we would pay for the plastic grocery bag that holds our groceries? Well, in California it is happening. You will soon have to pay for plastic grocery bags.

Yesterday, the California Assembly passed legislation prohibiting pharmacies, grocery, liquor and convenience stores from giving out plastic bags. The bill also includes that customers will have to pay for using store-issued paper bags.

The ban is to help with plastic bag “pollution” since they often wind up in rivers and the ocean. They are also trying to reduce the number of plastic bags that wind up in landfills. A plastic bag ban first gained popularity in countries other than the U.S., such as South Africa, Ireland, China, and Bangladesh.

If signed into law, California would be the first state to adopt such a ban.

What do you think? Does a plastic bag ban and paying to use paper bags make sense in order to protect our environment? Or do you disagree with the ban and think California taxpayers just cannot afford this? Contact me on FaceBook at www.Facebook.com/ronideutch or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ronideutch.